Wednesday, August 26, 2015

WDBJ Live Shooter: Vester Lee Flanagan Filmed Himself as He fired at Reporter and Cameraman

Vester Lee Flanagan

The fellow who shot the two reporters live on the air posted this video a few minutes ago to his Facebook account. He actually filmed himself as he shot those two individuals. Unbelievable. We've entered a new age of reality folks.

DEVELOPING:The manhunt is on for a gunman believed to be a "disgruntled employee" who shot and killed two media members and wounded a third person on live television Wednesday morning in Virginia.

The suspect has been identified by the Augusta County Sheriff's Office as 41-year-old Vester Lee Flanagan. Flanagan had reported from the station under the name Bryce Williams, according to WSMV. A Twitter account purported to belong to Williams tweeted out what appeared to be first-person video of the shooting along with statements pointing to a motive. The Twitter account has since been suspended.

In the video, a cell phone camera video shows the shooter walking up to the reporter, interviewee and camera man and pointing a gun at them. The trio does not see the shooter approach or the pistol pointing at them. Several shots are then fired, first at reporter Alison Parker, who screams and runs as the video ends.

A longer video posted to Facebook doesn't show much after Parker runs in terror. The sound of 14 gunshots can be heard. Nine shots ring out before a pause and the final shots are fired. The Facebook account has also been suspended.

"Law enforcement personnel have a photo of the suspect," Gov. Terry McAuliffe said. "We believe it's a disgruntled employee of the station, and they're in pursuit."

Police found the vehicle believed to be driven by the suspect at the Roanoke Airport, but the suspect was not with the vehicle, according to police scanner communications. Cops believe the suspect may be in another vehicle.

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The two people killed were identified by WDBJ colleagues as Parker, 24, and cameraman Adam Ward, 27.

A third person, who was being interviewed at the time of the shooting, was shot in the back and is in surgery, according to CNN. That person was identified as Vicki Gardner, head of the Smith Mountain Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce, by theRoanoke Times.

The shooting occurred at 6:45 a.m. at Bridgewater Plaza in Moneta, Va., according to Franklin County Sheriff Department spokesperson Phillip Young.

A federal law enforcement official told Fox News the FBI's Richmond field office had responded to the scene and was participating in the investigation. The ATF said on Twitter it was also assisting in the manhunt for the shooting suspect.

Related Image

Reporter Alison Parker, left, was killed on live television Wednesday morning. She was dating coworker Chris Hurst. (Courtesy of Chris Hurst on Twitter)

The shooting occurred live on television while Parker was conducting an interview outdoors about a planned anniversary celebration at Smith Mountain Lake, with Ward filming. When the camera panned to Parker and her subject, multiple shots rang out and several screams could be heard. As the camera fell to the ground, an blurry image suspected to be of the gunman came into view on the screen momentarily.

“We always say ‘senseless’ crime,” WDBJ President and General Manager Jeff Marks said on the station. “How can this individual have robbed Alison and Adam’s families of their lives and loves?”